FernieBritish Columbia
Some 7,086 people live in this town, in British Columbia. Between 2016 and 2021, its population grew by 17%.
Is Fernie a good place to live?
Plenty in its favour, and one clear drawback. Jobs & income is where it shines (A). Walkability is another plus (A+). Homes are dear (C). It lags on hazard risk as well (C). Put together, the subjects come to an A− overall, ranking #11 of 250 in British Columbia. On that grade it does better than just over four fifths of Canadian towns.
This town's rent is the 2021 census rent scaled to 2025 by its province's ratio of surveyed to census rents: no rental survey covers it, so its Cost Grade is less sure. Crime here is counted against the people who live here, but many visitors or second-home owners add to it, so the rate per resident runs higher than residents' own risk. Health is graded on the health region's survey figures and life expectancy, with the distance to hospital giving the town its own spread.
How Fernie grades
Each subject compares Fernie with Canadian towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far it is from the middle. Towns in other countries are graded separately.
How TownRatings grades Canadian towns →
What makes Fernie stand out
The 3 things Fernie does most differently from other towns.
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fernie.
Commuters in Fernie have a short way to work, 22 min on average, less than in British Columbia’s towns and Canadian towns
How working residents got to work · census 2021
| Census 2021 | Fernie | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip | 22 min | 26 min | 26 min |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021 (labour and commuting) · Counted in May 2021, under pandemic rules: fewer commutes and more people between jobs than in a normal year.
January nights in Fernie drop to −10.7°C (British Columbia towns 0.5°C, Canadian towns −13.5°C)
In July the thermometer climbs to 24.9°C by day, between British Columbia’s towns (23.1°C) and Canadian towns (25.5°C). Between the last spring frost, 30 May, and the first in autumn, 7 September, lie 98 days. A normal December brings 60 cm of snow, the most of any month. Rain and snow peak in November, at 72 mm.
Average high by season · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Normals, 1991–2020 | Fernie | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snowfall a year | 280 cm | 51 cm | 141 cm |
| Days with frost a year | 189 | 60 | 159 |
| Precipitation a year | 614 mm | 1,152 mm | 883 mm |
| January night low | −10.7°C | 0.5°C | −13.5°C |
Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Sparwood)
No high school in or near Fernie: the closest is 23 km off
Of the 3 with results, 2 sit in the lower two fifths in British Columbia.
| School | Level | Students | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fernie Secondary Fourth fifth in British ColumbiaIn FernieElementary | Elementary | – | English public |
| Sophie-Morigeau FrenchTeaches in FrenchElementary | Elementary | – | French public |
| The Fernie Academy IndependentResults in the top fifth in British ColumbiaElementary | Elementary | – | Independent |
Schools by system · Schools within 3 km
| Schools within 3 km | Fernie | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nearest secondary school | 23 km | 1.8 km | 1.2 km |
| School boards | 2 | 2 | 3 |
Provincial school lists and results, 2025/26
19% of homes tested in Fernie’s area are above the radon guideline
Measured across the East Kootenay health region: radon tests
Little of the land around Fernie has burned: 1.4% within 25 km since 1986, or 0.04% a year. The national inventory holds one flood map for it, from Regional District of East Kootenay.
Radon tests above the guideline · share of tested homes, 200 Bq/m³
| Hazards | Fernie | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radon tests above the guideline | 19% | 1.8% | 6.6% |
| Earthquake loss per $1,000 of buildings a year | $0.031 | $0.36 | $0.030 |
NRCan seismic risk model and burned areas, Health Canada radon survey, the Flood Hazard Map Inventory
Very good or excellent health for 57% of adults around Fernie; the typical Canadian town: 52%
Life expectancy in the region is 80.5 years (82.7 for women, 78.1 for men, 2022/2024). Smoking is commoner than in the province: 13% of adults, against 8.9% for British Columbia. The three chronic conditions the survey tracks average 16% of adults, higher than British Columbia’s towns (15%) yet lower than Canadian towns (17%). The town’s own part is the trip to care, and Fernie is well placed: 1.5 km to a hospital on average, against 3.7 km typical. Fernie doesn’t get its own health survey and life expectancy figures; the ones here come from the East Kootenay Health Service Delivery Area.
Very good or excellent health · adults, age-standardised
| Health | Fernie | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very good or excellent health | 57% | 50% | 52% |
| Smokers | 13% | 9% | 12% |
| Chronic conditions (average share) | 16% | 15% | 17% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.5 | 81.0 | 81.5 |
Statistics Canada, Canadian Community Health Survey 2023/2024 and life expectancy 2022/2024; Open Database of Healthcare Facilities
Renting in Fernie costs 17% of household income, less than in British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns
13% of households spent 30% or more of their income on shelter, lower than both British Columbia’s towns (21%) and Canadian towns (18%). Home ownership covers 72% of households.
What homes were worth · The median owner’s estimate at the 2021 census
| Census 2021 | Fernie | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent as a share of income | 17% | 24% | 20% |
| Households spending 30%+ on shelter | 13% | 21% | 18% |
| Median home value, 2021 | $645,000 | $720,000 | $406,000 |
| Households owning their home | 72% | 76% | 74% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; CMHC Rental Market Survey via Statistics Canada · Values come from owners at the 2021 census and incomes from 2020, so they predate the later rise in rates.
Fernie has fewer older residents than British Columbia’s towns or Canadian towns: 15% are 65 or over
Children under 15 make up 18%, above British Columbia’s towns (14%) and Canadian towns (16%) alike. 7.1% of residents belong to a visible minority, below British Columbia’s towns (8.6%) and Canadian towns (15%) alike.
Ages · Share of residents in each age group, Census 2021
Schooling · Highest qualification, residents 15 and over
Women and men · all residents
Women make up 50.4% of Fernie
3,185 women and 3,135 men at the 2021 census; across Canada, women are 50.9%.
| Fernie | British Columbia | Canada | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 14% | 16% |
| 15 to 64 | 68% | 64% | 64% |
| 65+ | 15% | 21% | 19% |
| No certificate, diploma or degree | 8.8% | 13% | 16% |
| Postsecondary qualification | 64% | 56% | 56% |
Statistics Canada, Census 2021; British Columbia and Canada: medians of towns of 2,500+
Fernie gets a C+ for safety
Property crime ran at 17.6 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, below British Columbia’s towns (31) and Canadian towns (31.2) alike. Its violent severity index came to 65, lower than both British Columbia’s towns (76) and Canadian towns (86).
Year by year · Crime Severity Index for each year
| 2023–2025 | Fernie | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crime per 1,000 | 17.6 | 31 | 31.2 |
| Violent Crime Severity Index | 65 | 76 | 86 |
Statistics Canada, Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, 2023–2025 average
Protected areas cover 31% of the country around Fernie
A drive of 74 km reaches Waterton Lakes National Park, the nearest national park. The tally of protected areas open to the public within 10 km is 2, below both British Columbia’s towns (14) and Canadian towns (4).
Protected land · of the land within 10 km
| Outdoors | Fernie | British Columbia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protected land within 10 km | 31% | 6.7% | 2.3% |
| Public protected areas within 10 km | 2 | 14 | 4 |
Canadian Protected and Conserved Areas Database (CPCAD), OpenStreetMap routes and beaches
What November brings in Fernie: −6°C at night, 2°C by day
By December, a normal day reaches −3°C and a night falls to −11°C. Snow is normal by November, about 47 cm over the month. For today and the week ahead, the Weather page carries ECCC’s Sparwood forecast.
Normal highs, the months ahead · ECCC normals, 1991–2020
| Season | High | Low | Rain and snow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | −2°C | −10°C | 142 mm |
| Spring | 11°C | −2°C | 155 mm |
| Summer | 23°C | 7°C | 147 mm |
| Autumn | 11°C | −1°C | 170 mm |
ECCC normals, 1991–2020 (Sparwood); the forecast is on the Weather page
Fernie’s MP is Rob Morrison (Conservative Party of Canada), for Columbia—Kootenay—Southern Rockies
20 of the 43 MPs from British Columbia belong to the Liberal Party of Canada.
Wikidata, MAMH, MMAH, Statistics Canada
Fernie’s public library is Fernie Heritage Library
It sits 0.2 km from the centre of Fernie.
Provincial library statistics, OpenStreetMap, the CRA and Statistics Canada
Everything we know about Fernie
Fernie Museum and 3 more in and around Fernie
A first look at Fernie’s museums, historic sites and days out, and a few just outside town.
Famous people from Fernie
11 notable people were born in Fernie.
Photo credits
Alex Lifeson: Shipguy, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Emily Brydon: Christian Jansky, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Jason Krog: goaliej54, CC BY-SA 2.0 · David LeNeveu: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0 · Dan Smith: TheAHL, CC BY 2.0
About Fernie
Town in British Columbia
TownRatings counts Fernie as Statistics Canada does, as one municipality in British Columbia; the census, crime and housing figures all follow that boundary.
Statistics Canada: population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155), Census of Population 2021, 2021 census boundaries.
- Population
- 7,086 (people, 2025 estimate)
- Province or territory
- British Columbia
- Census division
- East Kootenay
- Census subdivision
- 5901012
Fernie’s neighbours
The nearest places of 1,000 or more. Statistics Canada
| Town | People | km | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fernie | 7,086 | — | A− | C | C+ | B+ |
| Electoral Area A, East Kootenay | 2,092 | 11 | — | D | B | B |
People: Statistics Canada, Census 2021. Distances: centre to centre.
Questions about Fernie
Is Fernie growing?
Between the 2016 and 2021 censuses it went from 5,396 to 6,320 residents (up 17.1%; Canadian towns’ median: 4.1%), and Statistics Canada now estimates 7,086.
What kind of homes are in Fernie?
Mostly 62% single-detached houses (the median of Canadian towns: 64%), with 0% of homes in buildings of five or more storeys. Households hold 2.4 people on average, and 26% have just one.
Sources: Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021 · population estimates 2025 (17-10-0155) and 2021 census boundaries · Uniform Crime Reporting Survey 2023–25 (35-10-0026, 35-10-0183 to 35-10-0190) · CMHC rents as published by Statistics Canada (34-10-0133) · grades by TownRatings. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).